10 ways to get ahead from Stephen Gillett, Executive Vice President & COO of Symantec

Based on my experience, there is always that one young individual in a hyper-competitive industry that stands out. Frankly, they stick out because they are fresh faces holding top corporate positions in a sea of 50, 60, and 70 somethings. I want to brush off to the side the 24-year-old black glasses wearing super coder that has a slick pitch and three rounds of seed funding under his/her belt for the globe’s next can’t miss tap, type, or swipe social platform. Instead, I want to shed light on that young individual who rose through the ranks and has reached the top of mega-businesses that touch our daily lives, which is definitely not a normal occurrence when a trip to the executive suite seems but a mere pipe dream amid the daily grind.

Unbeknownst to Stephen Gillett, now EVP & COO of leading Internet security firm Symantec, I have followed his career ascent closely through the years. We are around the same age, and nothing fires me up and brings a smile to my face more than seeing another ‘80s child kick butt in his respective field. So, I was curious if his views on life, career, and business were similar to mine and those I choose to surround myself with each and every day. He did not disappoint, and in the process showed me that a publicly traded company such as Symantec has the leaders in place to be successful well into the future.

P.S. Since Stephen has a passion for tech (check out his pics on Twitter!), in this piece he shares at least 10 must-adopt insights on getting ahead in your career and life. Find them and tweet them, like today, at @stephengillett and @BrianSozzi.

Q: At 32 years old you were named the CIO of Starbucks. Now, it’s often said that simply “working hard” is the key to success in your career. I disagree. It takes intense focus on a long-term personal vision day in and day out to make things happen. So, what were those strategic steps that you took from the age of 21 to 31 to land in the executive suite at such a young age?

A: My appointment was the result of an ideal blend of factors. First and foremost I had the future-leaning skill set the company needed to manage the transformation they were undergoing at the time for IT & Digital. The company was facing change, and we needed to ensure we were adjusting our strategy to consider how customers, employees, and all interactions with the brand were changing as well. I had virtually no coffee experience and little retail experience, but Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz made it clear that he was looking for someone with a new mindset and life experience to take on this challenge. In this aspect, it was the right company inflection point for me to join and of course the strong leadership and support from Howard at the time was invaluable.

Q: Not many can say they’ve worked alongside entrepreneurial icons Bill Gates or Howard Schultz. What are the top lessons learned (life or career) from these iconic leaders during your time with them?

A: I worked with Bill Gates at his private company, Corbis. Through our interaction, I saw first-hand that it’s not just deep technology expertise or acute intellect alone that creates success; it’s the combination of these elements that helped solve some of our biggest business challenges. This is how Bill approached our business and technology decisions. I learned many lessons during these years, including the importance of deeply understanding your business and its opportunities as well as that of engaging others around you who are smarter and more experienced as “thought partners.”

Howard Schultz taught me a lot about business and corporate responsibility, how to build teams, and how to empower and support people. More than anything, he reinforced in me the instincts to care as much about the employees and the customers of an organization as the other elements of your business. The profit contributions are important, but the humanity and soul of your business and culture is what matters, and that must be paramount.

Q: How do you prioritize what things are important day to day?

A: I have found that above all else, you must build a strong and empowered team. If you do this right, you can accomplish greatness. Spend the time personally in the talent acquisition process to find the best people inside the company and combine that with the strongest talent from outside. Find people who are skilled in the art of what you need them to do and who can be fantastic leaders and team players. I have learned in my time both as a former football collegiate athlete at University of Oregon and throughout my career that the TEAM is the most important element in achieving success. You cannot outsource this to anyone. It must be a top priority. You must also be willing to ask for help.

Q: What are some of the defining human/career characteristics you sought in people while building your teams at Best Buy and Symantec?

A: I look at both the personality and professional narrative of the person. I seek candidates with character and with vision. Someone who has been defined by their successes as well as their failures but who does not shy away from forging ahead. They must be willing to think big and bold and take risks to achieve that vision. I seek team members who value the opinion of those around them and who treat people in every part of the organization with the same dignity and respect as they would a C-Level executive. I once read a quote: “The person who sweeps the floor should choose the broom.” This is the kind of servant-leadership mentality that inspires me.

Q: What sets star performers on the team apart from just average ones? How are they rewarded for outperforming?

A: Author Jim Collins often refers to something called “Level 5 leadership.” When asked a similar question his response was “Look for a lot of great work getting done in your organization without someone stepping up to claim credit and odds are, a Level 5 leader is at work.” This really struck me. Star performers are the ones who display the leadership attributes we aspire to—even when nobody is looking. They as leaders can be molded in their behaviors as much as they wish to mold others. They promote and support others first and are always looking at the greater good. Star performers deliver consistent results and are generally graceful with their style while exercising humility in their approach.

Q: Whether one believes it or not, the economy has improved in the past three years and jobs are being created. Upon entering Symantec, how did you approach getting acclimated to your new surroundings/co-workers? I have a feeling that many new hires are failing to start with a fresh mindset on day one (which is very important).

A: As a former CIO, I was familiar with Symantec’s portfolio and its place in the industry for some time. Further, I had the added benefit of being on the Symantec Board of Directors since late 2011. When they asked me to step in as COO in 2012, I had some understanding of the inter-company operations but I also brought an outsider’s perspective to bear on the business and its opportunities.

Q: Small businesses have been led to believe that plastering their brand on Facebook and Twitter will drive sales. They are usually in for a rude awakening. You won an award in 2012 for marketing. Can you detail some of the strategies that budding entrepreneurs could use to better market their companies and facilitate sales?

A: It used to be that digital and social media were bolted on to the existing business, but now it must be core to the very business you are in versus just an afterthought. It started as simply creating a digital extension of your brand on the social graphs (e.g. Facebook, Twitter). Then we saw it move to a customer-engagement model, including the evolution of “counts” and “likes” to “customer value” and “engagement” as companies tried to emotionally engage with their customers in ways that add value. More recently it has been about adoption and the new Internet of things. Companies want to ensure that the “digital” experience is woven into the very DNA of how they operate so that however consumers and business users consume information, their message reaches the audience. It is tapping into mobile, blogs, tablets, apps, information, security and heterogeneous environments where your identity as a consumer goes with you across sites/brands/devices. This is where the future of marketing needs to be.

Q: Stephen Gillett today would tell Stephen Gillett at age 25 what in terms of getting ahead in business?

A: I would remind myself of the importance of maintaining work-life balance. Find that balance and honor it. In the end, time with family, faith, and friends is what is most important. I would also tell him to lose a few pounds at 25, because it is much more difficult at 35!

Q: At the time of your move to Symantec in 2012, I remarked in a Business Insider story that “Best Buy just lost the single most important employee at the company.” While forging a team first mindset is important in the workplace, it’s also important to look out for your own best interests. How does one go about making themselves a “most important” employee?

A: Whether you are a C-level executive or a team member working on an important project, the question remains “How do I add value?” I don’t think the “most important employee” is confined to a particular part of the org chart. In fact some of the best ideas in business have come from all levels of the organization. If you care about what you do from a deep emotional level and are honored to work for and with the people around you, it shows. It is in these environments when the team wins, the company wins and you win, in that order.

Q: Any signs an employee could look for that his/her employer is in financial trouble/doing worse than in years past?

A: A great skill to have in 2013 and beyond is the ability to read and understand your company’s SEC filings including the income statement and balance sheet. These are publicly available documents which provide great insights into the financial and risk profile of your company.

Q: With so much commerce being done via handheld devices, how can a business owner protect his/her device from being hacked? Is there software out there yet? I sure don’t know anyone downloading anti-virus software for his or her iPhones.

A: Mobile malware is a growing threat; in fact, our recent Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), found that malware on mobile devices has risen by 58 percent over the previous year. So, while you may not know anyone downloading mobile security software, everyone certainly should be. While malware on mobile phones is a growing threat, one of the most prevalent issues facing consumers and businesses today is the theft or loss of those devices. Not only can theft or loss pose risks to your own personal information, it has the potential to expose any business data stored on the device, as well as data residing in corporate systems or cloud applications which the device might connect to, such as email or corporate files. When you consider that 35 percent of adults have had their smartphone lost or stolen according to the 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report, this problem is bigger than you might think. Things as simple as password protecting your phone, or installing or activating security software on your phone, are very simple steps to help keep your personal information and your company’s data safe. The bottom line is that you should keep yourself and your business up-to-date on the rapidly changing world of Internet security with proactive education, and proactive security precautions.